I’ve seen Regina Spektor play tiny venues, armed with just a piano, and a chair that she slapped for percussion on acapella tracks, but with the Symphony Hall comes drummer, keyboard and cellist. Strangely, no support for the Birmingham date at least (though I’m assuming it’s for the whole tour, as none has been advertised?) so I’d imagined an early curfew for once... But with a 24 song set, I was quite mistaken.

The Mekons are a musical institution. Starting off as an arty punk band with attitude at Leeds University in the 1970s, they’ve evolved over the years as a politically and socially-aware collective of musicians expanding out of the punk genre into folk, country, dub and all sorts. They decamped to the USA in the 1990s and have, as they say, a large cult following including one Will Oldham (aka Bonnie Prince Billy). However, tonight we’re privileged to witness one of only a few reunion gigs being performed by the original 1977-9 line-up of drummer Jon Langford, guitarists Kevin Lycett and Tom Greenhalgh and singers Mark White and Andy Corrigan.

Inner City music events seem to be de-rigeur for a lot of Britain’s cities and the ‘Toon is not one to be left out of a trend! This particular event was interestingly called “Live from Times Square” and although it was not the New York square made famous by New Year, it was certainly busy busy and eager with anticipation for the bands of the evening…. The Old Pink House, Dream Wife, Public Service Broadcasting, The Cribs and headliners the Manic Street Preachers - that and it was sold out and it was Saturday night in Newcastle which, if you don’t know, is always a damn good party.

It's early August, which means that the 80's Rewind Festival is back on the road again for 2017. Ken Harrison popped along to Rewind North from the 4th-6th August, to get involved with the festivities and capture the great moments from the event. Rewind North is a three day festival, staring on Friday evening with DJ's, music and dancing to get the crowd going for a weekend featuring the best from the 80s with The Village People and Sister Sledge headlining Saturday and Status Quo as the headline act closing the festival on Sunday.

I have been to the Brudenell Social Club quite a few times now, mostly to indie bands that are either breaking it through or are making a big noise on the “scene”…. So tonight when I drew up towards the club, for it is a club (think workingman's club not Studio 54 - yes really) I thought there must be somebody else on as well as the fabulous Stanley Clarke, after all, who would queue round the block to see an obscure jazz bass player?

Walking onto Somerset House's stage in vivid, show stopping green, Birdy looks shy, and even a little uncomfortable. The 21 year-old released her debut at the tender age of 15, and while she has shed her sparse covers for more powerful pop ballads, her youthful awkwardness remains.

Somerset House on a summer's evening isn't the worst place to be. The sun sets over the top of the regal building, making its flag- rainbow for Pride- glow. The square is the perfect size for a gig of this scale; there are no bad views. There are quality food vendors that are the envy of larger festivals. Warpaint are headlining..

“There are more than 300 languages spoken in this city. Is London not the capital of the World?” These were the words of iconic front man Bono, as Irish rockers U2, performed in London on Saturday night in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their 1987 ground-breaking album, The Joshua Tree. Nostalgia was tangible in the air and Twickenham Stadium was packed with excited fans that likely were at this very album’s promotional tour three decades ago.

There is one thought that seems to unite the sold-out crowd gathered in Hyde Park for today's headliners The Killers: that it is exceptionally hot. The sun is drenching everything at British Summer Time, from the gloriously decorated Great Oak Stage to the dozens of food spots and bars.

It was summer 2001 and the sun shone down on the Spanish isle of Lanzarote, the cool young lad with his baggy shorts and trucker cap lent me his headphones and thus began the journey of enlightenment that is Blink-182. The holiday romance fizzled out but the love of the punk-rock cheeky ditties did not and here we are sixteen years later, older, wiser and at Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena.

Standing in the shadow of the Lovell Telescope, bluedot Festival returns for the second year. Over this balmy summer weekend, festival goers land at Jodrell Bank, (the Cheshire observatory at the cutting edge of humanity’s quest for knowledge), bluedot for a three day intergalactic journey of discovery that combines live music and science with artists, speakers, scientists and performers.

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